Video Transcript:

The following information is provided for educational purposes only and in no way constitutes legal, tax, or financial advice. For legal, tax, or financial advice specific to your business needs, we encourage you to consult with a licensed attorney and/or CPA in your State. The following information is copyright protected. No part of this Lesson may be redistributed, copied, modified or adapted without prior written consent of the author. In this video, we will discuss the Registered Office and the Registered Agent. The Registered Office and the Registered Agent are required for your LLC Formation Documents. Once you figure out who your LLC’s Registered Agent will be, you will then be able to complete your LLC Formation Documents which we discuss in the next Lesson. The purpose of the Registered Office and Registered Agent. There needs to be a reliable street address (and a reliable point of contact) where legal documents can be served in case you’re LLC is sued. This address and point of contact are known as your Registered Office and your Registered Agent. The Registered Office must be a street address (it cannot be a PO Box) located in the State where your LLC is formed. The Registered Agent is a person or a company who agrees to accept legal mail and important documents on behalf of your LLC. The Registered Agent is located at the Registered Office and is generally available during normal business hours. We know that the term “Registered Office” sounds quite official, but your Registered Office doesn’t need to be an actual office address. Although your Registered Office can be an actual office address, it could also be a home address. Again, you’re Registered Agent must agree to accept delivery of legal mail and important documents related to any lawsuits against your LLC. Delivery of legal documents related to a lawsuit is known as “Service of Process”. Service of Process include items such as complaints, summons, and/or subpoenas. Many states will also use your Registered Agent as a general point of contact for mailing you business and tax notices, payment reminders, and other documents. In Colorado you have 4 options for designating your LLC’s Registered Agent. The first is: You, as an individual, can be your LLC’s Registered Agent. Second: Your LLC can be its own Registered Agent. Third: A friend or family member can be your LLC’s Registered Agent; and fourth: You can hire a Commercial Registered Agent. If you have a street address located in Colorado, you have 2 of the 4 options to choose from. You can choose the first (which is you, as an individual, can be your LLC’s Registered Agent, or the second (your LLC can be its own Registered Agent). If you have a street address located in Colorado, we recommend that you choose option 2 is this offers a small degree of privacy, as compared to designating yourself as your LLC’s Registered Agent. If you don’t have a street address located in Colorado, then you have the other 2 options to choose from: the third (which is a friend or family member can be your LLC’s Registered Agent). Remember though, they must have a street address located in Colorado; or the fourth option (you can hire a Commercial Registered Agent). If you’re comfortable with using the address of a friend or family member (aka ,you trust them), then we recommend choosing option 3 if you don’t have a street address located in Colorado. However, if you don’t know anyone located in Colorado, then I recommend you hire a Commercial Registered Agent. A Commercial Registered Agent is a company that specializes in receiving Service of Process on behalf of businesses nationwide. They typically charge between $100-300 per year. Once hired, they’ll receive Service of Process on behalf of your LLC, and then forward it to you by mail at any address you’d like. Most will also fax or email your documents if preferred. If you decide to use a Commercial Registered Agent, we recommend a company called Northwest Registered Agent. They’ve been in the business for more than 2 decades and they have a solid reputation. Their fees are among the most affordable, and their support is top notch. There is information below this video where you can find instructions on how to sign up for their services. If you choose option 1, 2, or 3, where you, you LLC or a friend or family member will serve as your LLC’s Registered Agent, you can then proceed to the next Lesson. However if you choose option 4, and you need to hire a Commercial Registered Agent, you will first need to sign up with them before you proceed to the next Lesson. Again, there’s information below this video on how to sign up with Northwest Registered Agent. If you have any questions about their services, you will also find their phone number listed below this video. Once you sign up for their services, you will then be able to list their name and address your LLC Formation Documents. And that concludes this video.

Who can be the Registered Agent for your Colorado LLC?

Before filing your Articles of Organization with the Colorado Secretary of State (discussed in the next lesson), you need to choose a Registered Agent for your Colorado LLC.

A Colorado Registered Agent is a person or company who agrees to accept legal mail (known as “service of process”) on behalf of your Colorado LLC in case your business gets sued.

The Colorado Secretary of State will also use your Registered Agent’s address as your LLC’s point of contact for official notices sent to your business.

As per section 7-90-701 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, your LLC’s Registered Agent must have a physical street address located in the state of Colorado. A Colorado Registered Agent address can’t be a PO Box address.

Your Colorado Registered Agent should generally be available during normal business hours (9am -- 5pm) in case Service of Process arrives. Service of Process includes the delivery of legal documents such as complaints, summons, and subpoenas.

Your LLC’s Registered Agent is a key component to how the court and legal systems work. By requiring all Colorado LLCs to have (and continuously maintain) a Registered Agent on file with the state, the delivery of legal mail and court documents can be tracked and accounted for within the state.

This is similar to how ‘certified mail return receipt’ works, but in the legal world, this is how process servers – (people delivering legal documents) – create a record that something was delivered.

Can I be my own Registered Agent in Colorado?

Yes, you can be your Colorado LLC’s Registered Agent, as long as you have a street address located in the state.

Option 3: A friend or family member can be your LLC’s Registered Agent.

Option 4: You can hire a Colorado Registered Agent Company, also known as a Commercial Registered Agent.

Registered Agent Information is Public Record in Colorado

While you do have the option for yourself (or your LLC) to be the Registered Agent (or use a friend or family member), you may not want to have your address listed on public records.

The information you enter in your Articles of Organization becomes public record with the Secretary of State.

Not only is this information searchable by the public, but it may also appear in google searches. There is a solution though (see below) if you’d like to keep your address off public records.

What’s the best Registered Agent option to choose?

Option #1 or Option 2 (You or your LLC):

If you have a street address located in Colorado, are available during business hours, and don’t mind your address being on public records, then you or your LLC can be the Registered Agent.

Option #3 (Friend or Family):

If you don’t have a street address located in Colorado, but you have a friend or family member who does, they can be your LLC’s Registered Agent. They’ll need to be available during business hours and they shouldn’t mind having their address being listed on public records.

Option #4 (Registered Agent Service):

If you don’t have a street address in Colorado (or you’d rather not use it for this purpose), you can hire a Registered Agent Company in Colorado.

Colorado Registered Agent Service

Note: The terms “Registered Agent Company” and “Commercial Registered Agent” mean the same thing. We will use them interchangeably.

A Colorado Registered Agent Company specializes in receiving Service of Process (legal mail) on behalf of your LLC.

Most Registered Agent Services in Colorado cost between $100 and $300 per year.

Why we recommend Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent is our personal recommendation (and the service we use) because they’ve been in business for over 20 years, have great customer service, and they let you use their address in your entire LLC filing in order to keep your address off public records.

How to keep your address off public records:

Many filers in Colorado start businesses from their home. For this reason, it’s important to know that all addresses that are on your Articles of Organization get listed on public records and may appear in google searches.

If you want to keep your address off of public records, you can hire a Registered Agent that will allow you to use their address as your LLC’s address. The only company that allows this is Northwest Registered Agent. They offer Registered Agent services for $125 per year and they’ll let you use their address throughout your entire LLC Filing.

Any mail that is sent to your LLC will be scanned by them and uploaded into your online account.

Special discounted pricing for LLC University® readers

Northwest usually charges $100 + state fees to form an LLC. However, we’ve negotiated a discounted rate (60% off) for LLC University® readers.

Special offer: If you hire Northwest to form your Colorado LLC ($39 + state fee), they’ll include their registered agent services free for the 1st year.

Risks of being your own Registered Agent in Colorado

As mentioned above, you can be your own Registered Agent in Colorado.

Besides the address privacy we mentioned, are there any risks to being your own Registered Agent?

In short, there are risks. They are not extremely likely to occur, but if they do, you could lose your liability protection and the Colorado Secretary of State has the power to administratively shut down your Colorado LLC if you’re not in compliance with state laws.

This can happen if you don’t “continuously maintain” (always have) a Registered Agent on file, or if the Secretary of State is unsuccessful in reaching your LLC’s Registered Agent.

Additionally, if a process server (a person who serves court documents and notices of lawsuits) is unsuccessful in reaching your Colorado Registered Agent (or is unsuccessful in serving your LLC through the Secretary of State), a court case can proceed in your absence and you might not even know about it.

A few reasons a process server might not be able to reach your Colorado LLC’s Registered Agent:

you, your friend, or family member are not there during business hours

you/they are on vacation or out of town

you/they moved and you forgot to file a Change of Registered Agent with the state

Forming an LLC shouldn't be so complicated. Our step-by-step guide will make the process a breeze – and no complex legal jargon! LLC University® teaches people how to form an LLC for free in all 50 states. We hope you find our free guides and resources helpful in your business journey.

Disclaimer: Nothing on this page shall be interpreted as legal or tax advice. Rules and regulations vary by location. They also change over time and are specific to your situation. Furthermore, this comment section is provided so people can share their thoughts and experience. Please consult a licensed professional if you have legal or tax questions.

10 Comments

Cynthia ThompsonMay 28, 2018

Can an LLC be in the name of the estate of a deceased person? Can we use the EIN and bank account already created for the estate?

Can a business such as Mailboxes Etc. serve as the registered agent address? Unlike a PO box, they do provide a physical address (street address plus unit/box number) and can accept both mail and packages on your behalf.

Hi Steve, most states’ statutes are silent on the use of mailbox rentals, however, it’s generally agreed upon that it’s acceptable in Colorado. The state has a provision that if the Registered Agent can’t be served at the Registered Agent’s address, the LLC can be served via it’s principal office address. Hope that helps.

Can I change my registered agent after I have designated one? For example, could I use a family member for a few months while I don’t want my business to be public knowledge, and then change it to my own name and address?

Hi Katherine, great question. Yes, you can. And yes, you can do as mentioned in your example. Your Colorado LLC’s Registered Agent isn’t “set in stone”. It can be changed at any time. In order to do so, you can file a “Statement of Change Changing the Registered Agent Information“. The filing is done online at the Colorado Secretary of State’s website. Here are the steps:

I’m applying for LLC with a family member’s Colorado address, I live in Florida. The form is asking me to upload documents, when i check no documents to upload it doesn’t allow me to move on… it says add documents. What documents must i upload? Is there an authorization for since it’s a family member?

Hi Paula, no, you are not required to upload a form if you have a nothing to upload. However, I bet what happened was on the first page you checked off “yes” when it asked “Do you need to attach additional information?”. Maybe that caused the issue. After you try again, let us know how it goes. Hope that helps.

I live in Colorado and if I use NORTHWEST as my registered agent, they don’t have a Colorado address. I thought the registered agent has to have an physical address in Colorado. ALSO, THANK YOU for making this process so easy to understand. (Except for my question above, obviously. HA.)

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